Ranking the Washington Redskins' worst third-round picks this century

Neil Dalal

07/20/2016

And you thought the Redskins had some rough second round picks.

The NFL Draft is a crapshoot. No matter what the film and stats show, so many variables go in to determining whether a player will succeed at the highest level. The Washington Redskins have tried their best at this glorified guessing game through the years -- with notable booms and busts along the way. Today, Breaking Burgundy takes a look at the franchise's three worst third-round draft selections of the 21st century.

Coming off of an impressive NFL Combine with his speed, agility, and intelligence on display, the Redskins felt comfortable selecting the local Maryland Terrapin who had his college coaches in the ear of then head coach Jim Zorn. Barnes was considered a smaller version of Carlos Rodgers during his rookie year and was consistently praised for his work ethic. Unfortunately, Barnes fell too far back on the depth chart in 2012 behind DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, and Cedric Griffin and could not make a conversion to safety under new defensive backs coach Raheem Morris. Barnes was traded to Detroit but was cut two games into the season and saw his career finish with just 44 tackles, 9 passes defended, and three interceptions.

At North Carolina State, Harrison was a three-year starter at cornerback and recorded 190 tackles (nine for loss), 12 interceptions, 40 passes defensed, one sack, two fumble recoveries, five forced fumble, and four blocked kicks. Despite a storied college career as a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist, given to the top defensive back in the nation, an All-American second team, and All-ACC first-team selection Harrison was a bust in the NFL. Harrison played two games in his rookie year, recording no statistics, and ended the year consistently inactive. There were big expectations for Harrison to compete with Fred Smoot for the top backup to Champ Bailey in Darrell Green going into 2001, but the 5-10 defender was released days before the start of the season. Harrison had a twelve game stint with the Chargers where he recorded 19 tackles before a short stay with the Dolphins, ending his NFL career.

Russell seemed to have all the raw talent in the world when he came out of Utah, highlighted by his 4.36 40-yard dash. However, his speed couldn't cover up his poor route-running or stone hands. Oft-injured, Russell played only three games in his two years as a Redskin before bouncing around to the Bengals, Dolphins and Broncos. Russell played in just 23 games over seven seasons and amassed 45 yards on five receptions to show for it. That's certainly a far cry from his 124 catches and 1,862 yards in three years with the Utes.